One year after Laura, Louisiana dealing with another major hurricane

ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) - On August 27, 2020 Hurricane Laura made landfall in Cameron parish as a category four storm- the strongest on record for the state of Louisiana. Now one year after the anniversary of the historic storm the First Alert Storm Team is tracking another major hurricane that made landfall on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

As of Sunday night Hurricane Ida was located 30 miles east-southeast of Baton Rouge and is forecast to track just east of the Mississippi River through Monday. Extremely warm sea-surface temperatures as well as low wind shear gave Ida prime conditions for rapid intensification. Ida became a category four hurricane Sunday morning with sustained winds of 150mph and wind gusts up to 185mph! Ida made landfall around 11:55am Sunday near Port Fourchon, La Sunday as a category 4 hurricane.

As of the Sunday night forecast, central Louisiana is expected to remain on the west side of the hurricane, which means impacts will be lesser. Tropical storm-force wind gusts are likely as early as Sunday evening for our eastern parishes, and are expected to continue through the morning hours Monday before coming to an end. Tropical Storm-force wind gusts up to the 50-65 mph range are not out of the question for parishes closer to the eyewall, such as St. Landry parish up to Concordia parish.

Rainfall amounts are forecast to peak over southeast Louisiana, with flooding a real possibility for the Baton Rouge and New Orleans areas. Rainfall amounts in central Louisiana are currently expected to remain lower; up to 4 inches towards the Mississippi River.

It’s important to note that these forecast details will change with any changes in the track location or intensity. Central Louisiana residents should be prepared for tropical storm conditions and the possibility of some power outages.